(Everydayhealth) - What’s your poison? At the right serving size, it may not be poison at all. While red wine is most closely tied to heart health, other types of alcohol can provide the same benefits. The best-documented mechanism for alcohol’s preventive power, according to Cleveland Clinic heart specialists Steven Nissen, MD, and Marc Gillinov, MD, authors of HEART 411: The Only Guide to Heart Health You’ll Ever Need, is the way it changes cholesterol, specifically HDL, the “good” kind. Drs. Nissen and Gillinov write that moderate alcohol consumption, defined as a drink per day for women and two per day for men, can raise HDL cholesterol by roughly 12 percent. An increase in of that level, they write, is similar to the effects of an aerobic exercise program.